Amusement and Theme Parks

News about Amusement and Theme Parks, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Nov. 28, 2016

Space World amusement park on Japanese island of Kyushu apologizes for freezing around 5,000 fish and other sea creatures below surface of its ice rink; will close attraction until further notice. MORE

Oct. 25, 2016

Four people are killed at Dreamworld amusement park in Australia after raft overturns in white-water attraction, trapping them in ride's machinery. MORE

Jun. 15, 2016

Hotels and resorts near some major American theme parks highlighted. MORE

Jun. 15, 2016

Eight roller coasters opening in 2016 at American theme parks highlighted, some offering not only new speed and height records, but thrills of virtual reality. MORE

Jun. 15, 2016

Lucas Peterson travel article on selection of nontraditional foods offered at a number of well-known theme parks in United States. MORE

Jun. 15, 2016

Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction company specializes in renovating aging wooden roller coasters, refitting them with steel tracks and adding new features for thrilling contemporary rides. MORE

Jun. 14, 2016

Justin Sablich travel article highlights activities offered at Pennsylvania's Hersheypark for people who are not fond of roller coasters. MORE

Mar. 18, 2016

SeaWorld says it will immediately cease breeding killer whales; decision comes after years of criticism over theme park's treatment of killer whales, which had caused decline in its image, attendance and stock price. MORE

Mar. 15, 2016

Universal Studios theme park in Los Angeles announces plans for haunted house attraction based on AMC series The Walking Dead. MORE

Jan. 20, 2016

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is recalling 10,000 Darth Vader and Disneyland 60th-anniversary infant onesies after finding that snaps can detach and pose choking hazard. MORE

Dec. 18, 2015

Nov. 10, 2015

SeaWorld says it will phase out its San Diego killer whale show in 2016; announcement does not include water parks in Texas and Florida; company has faced criticism and scrutiny over its treatment of animals. MORE

Nov. 2, 2015

Lions Gate Entertainment seeks to build on success of its Hunger Games franchise and other films by using them to anchor new theme parks in Atlanta and Macau; amusement park rides and stage shows are new to studio, which had 2015 revenue of $2.4 billion. MORE

Oct. 10, 2015

Oct. 4, 2015

In Transit blog; seventh film in Star Wars franchise has yet to open, but Disney has announced plans to build 'Star Wars'-themed attractions at both its California and Florida parks, Japanese airline ANA will launch three Star Wars-themed planes, and franchise creator George Lucas is busy developing Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago. MORE

Aug. 23, 2015

In Transit blog; water parks around world are integrating technology with traditional water rides to produce thrilling additions like improved wave pool and slideboarding, which has video game-like features. MORE

Aug. 17, 2015

Disney will construct new Star Wars-themed facilities at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in expansion that analysts estimate at more than $2 billion; 14-acre areas are seen as long-expected effort by Disney to capitalize on its 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm. MORE

Aug. 3, 2015

Comcast is seeing outsized returns after investing heavily in amusement parks it acquired as part of NBC Universal buyout, but doubts remain about speed of expansion and perennial dangers of the business; theme park unit had operating cash flow of $617 million in the first half of 2015, up 49 percent from year-earlier period; multi-billion dollar expansion, along with similar push by Disney, could indicate biggest boom period in industry's history. MORE

Jul. 17, 2015

Andrew O'Hagan recounts his experience visiting Disneyland with his daughter; reflects that Walt Disney fashioned an American nirvana there that inspires all visitors, not just children. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

Walt Disney Company shows designs and attractions at mega-resort that is due to open in Shanghai in spring 2016, its first theme park in China. MORE

Jul. 5, 2015

Mekado Murphy travel article shares the challenge of visiting all four theme parks in Florida's Disney World complex in one day. MORE

Jul. 4, 2015

Universal Studios' Hollywood back lot, competing with nearby Disneyland, now features action-themed tours in attempt to modernize the park and adjacent movie studio; attraction had 6.8 million visitors in 2014, up 11 percent from 2013. MORE

Jun. 28, 2015

Fireball that ignites over Taiwanese water park north of Taipei injures at least 516 people, with some suffering life-threatening injuries and burns; blast appears to have occurred when airborne colored paint powder being dispersed over a crowd at a dance event in the park ignited. MORE

Jun. 28, 2015

Travel Q&A with Rob Decker, senior vice president of planning and design at Cedar Fair Entertainment, which operates 14 theme parks across United States and Canada. MORE

Jun. 26, 2015

Albany businessmen buy rides of Hoffman's Playland and move amusement park from vibrant suburb to district of warehouses in little-visited area of city. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

Dunhuang Journal; preservationists and scholars at China's Dunhuang Research Academy speak out against plan to bring more tourism to Mogao Caves, United Nations World Heritage Site in Gobi Desert; say site is already overburdened with visitors and that proposal by Gansu Province officials and Beijing company Boya Strategy Consultation Group, which includes theme park and hotels, would threaten ancient Buddhist treasures. MORE

Apr. 11, 2015

Coney Island's 87-year-old Cyclone roller coaster remains a popular amusement park attraction, despite enduring beyond its glory days; several passengers who were temporarily stranded midair when coaster stalled on first day of season reunite week later to have another go when ride reopens after inspection. MORE

Mar. 27, 2015

Friday File column; New York Times archives highlight coverage of opening of Coney Island amusement parks Dreamland and Luna Park in 1904. MORE

Feb. 4, 2015

Philippe and Nicolas de Villiers, successful French operators of historical theme parks, are planning new operation in Crimea; pair will avoid troubled episodes in region's recent history, instead choosing to portray its Byzantine lineage from the distant past; have struck deal with Russian investors and have met with Russian Pres Vladimir Putin. MORE

Dec. 29, 2014

Texas businessman David Jones is trying to raise $8 million to buy and renovate Alamo Village, replica of Texas landmark built for John Wayne movie The Alamo and since used for over 100 additional artistic productions; Jones hopes to turn it into a theme park. MORE

Dec. 11, 2014

Kentucky rescinds offer of tax breaks for a religious-themed park that would feature a 500-foot-long wooden ark based on Noah’s Ark; state officials say planned project had changed from tourism attraction to outreach for Christian ministry. MORE

Nov. 23, 2014

Brooks Barnes travel article highlights visit to all 13 Disney theme parks, from California to Paris and even Tokyo. MORE

Oct. 14, 2014

Comcast's NBC Universal unit announces plans to build a $3.3 billion theme park in Beijing; 1,000-acre park will be part of effort to capitalize on China's growing middle class. MORE

Sep. 13, 2014

Walt Disney World is removing 1980-era flume ride Maelstrom from its Norway pavilion at Epcot Center in Orlando, to build a new attraction based on hit movie Frozen. MORE

Aug. 29, 2014

Zakho Journal; most people at Happy Park in Zakho, Iraq, many from wealthy families, or longtime residents seeking a break, are glad to have any kind of escape from militants of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria sweeping through their towns; theme park in Iraqi Kurdistan once hosted thousands on weekend nights, but local crowds have thinned. MORE

Aug. 10, 2014

Aug. 9, 2014

Several amusement and theme parks are offering theatrical shows, including The Singing Sorceress: Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees at Universal Orlando Resort, London Rocks at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va, and Lusty Lil's Revue at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. MORE

Jul. 30, 2014

Seaside Heights, NJ, stands to lose its last carousel, historic, wooden one which dates to 1910 and features horses from master carvers; owners say, because of 'market conditions,' they will put it up for sale; auction house Guernsey's would like to keep carousel in one piece, but it could be sold off piece by piece; residents and longtime visitors are campaigning to save the carousel with online petition. MORE

Jul. 27, 2014

News analysis; yearly deaths and injuries occurring on amusement park rides raise question of whether roller coasters and other thrill rides have, in becoming taller, faster and more extreme, also become more dangerous; no single federal agency is responsible for collecting data and assessing safety of such rides, resulting in variable regulation from state to state. MORE

Jul. 27, 2014

Next-generation wooden roller coasters that take their riders upside down can be found in amusement parks in Branson, Mo, Gurnee, Ill, and Wisconsin Dells, Wis. MORE

Jul. 22, 2014

Rome's legendary film studio Cinecitta, which is in financial trouble as result of lower-cost filming in Eastern Europe, hopes that Cinecitta World, new theme park inspired by the studio’s golden era, will attract more international travelers to the city. MORE

Jun. 16, 2014

Thomas Land, theme park based on popular children’s television show Thomas & Friends, is being built at Edaville USA Railroad in Carver, Mass. MORE

Jun. 13, 2014

Westchester County officials say blueprint is being scrapped and new approach adopted for saving amusement park Rye Playland. MORE

May. 27, 2014

Florida's economy is on the rise again, shaking off big housing bust; so far in 2014, state has led country in job growth and chalked up third-best record over last 12 months; reasons for comeback include low prices for land and contractors, and tourism driven in part by new Harry Potter theme park attraction. MORE

May. 25, 2014

Thunderbolt, first custom-designed roller coaster at Coney Island in decades, is serious thrill-ride, offering lightning-quick moves and steep upside-down drops; coaster replaces old wooden Thunderbolt, which operated at park from 1925 to 1982. MORE

Apr. 30, 2014

Plan to revitalize Rye Playland, Art Deco amusement park in Rye, NY, is threatened by opposition from neighbors, who object to several changes including a new, large field house; Sustainable Playland, key group behind project, has threatened to drop out. MORE

Apr. 9, 2014

Comcast is increasing spending at Universal Studios Hollywood, following years of neglect by previous owners of California theme park; $1.6 billion overhaul is aimed at competing with nearby Disneyland. MORE

Apr. 2, 2014

Walt Disney World has spent more than a year rolling out MyMagic+, $1 billion reservation system designed to make park more profitable by making its 30 million annual visitors happier; multifaceted system, which involves tracking guests through data-collecting electronic wristbands, has taken longer to implement than expected as Disney confronts array of daunting complexities. MORE

Mar. 11, 2014

Thunderbolt roller coaster is returning to its Coney Island site, but will now be constructed of steel rather than wood, and will be able to reach speeds of 55 miles per hour; will be the first coaster in the area since 1910 to hurtle riders upside-down. MORE